Seambusting and pressing apparatus

ABSTRACT

The apparatus includes an elongated buck having an upper convex surface which supports the seam with the edges thereof outboard, and a portable iron having a concave bottom surface and a point nose which cooperates with the convex buck to simultaneously open and press the seam sandwiched therebetween as the iron moves in a forward direction thereover. The bottom edge of the iron is recessed on either side of the nose to permit the opened edges of the seam forward of the nose to flow smoothly beneath the iron as the iron advances thereover, preventing bunching of the seam forward of the iron as it advances. A jet of steam directed downwardly and forwardly is emitted from the nose of the iron to moisten the opened seamed edges and thereby enhance the permanency of the overbusting operation. 
     In one form of the invention, the outboard end or nose of the buck, which is inserted into the pant leg when dressing it on the buck, is provided with a smoothly contoured V-shaped notch which guides the seam which is to be overbusted into proper position atop the buck, expediting the dressing operation. Additionally, the buck is provided along its length on its underside surface with downwardly directed compressed air jets which apply a radially outwardly and downwardly directed force against the lower longitudinal one-half section of the pant leg from the interior thereof, in turn pulling the upper seam of a pant leg dressed atop the buck tightly thereagainst to maintain it in position during the overbusting operation. .Iadd.

This application is a continuation-in-part of an application of NormanJ. Bullock, Frank A. Wendt, Laddie A. DePas and Walter P. Goodman,entitled SEAMBUSTING APPARATUS AND METHOD, Ser. No. 524,642, filed onNov. 18, 1974, now U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,546, issued on Nov. 4, 1975..Iaddend.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for opening the matingfabric edges of a seam and thereafter pressing the opened seam edgessuch that they remain flat against the fabric.

By way of background, in the course of manufacturing a garment, such asa pair of trousers or other article, it is often necessary to join twopieces of fabric along a line known as a seam. Although there aredifferent types of seams, one common type found on the inside andoutside of trouser legs, termed the "inseam" and "outseam", is formedduring manufacture by superimposing the front and rear trouser legfabric panels such that the "right" sides of the fabric panels contacteach other, and then joining the superimposed panels with a sewingmachine or the like along opposite longitudinal margins thereofapproximately 3/4 inches inboard of the outer edges of the fabric. Thejoint between the fabric panels is herein called the "seam", the linealong which the stitching or the like is made is herein called the "seamline" and the 3/4 inches sections of fabric outboard of the seam lineare herein termed the "seam edges".

When the two fabric panels of a trouser leg have been sewn alongopposite edges in the manner indicated above, a tubular garmentstructure for enclosing the leg is produced, but since the "right" sideof the fabric panels face each other the trouser leg tube is inside-out.When the trouser leg is turned right-side-out the edges of each seam,that is, the portions of fabric outboard of the seam line along whichthe stitching is located, are "closed", that is, are in face-to-facecontact. The edges of the two closed seams of a trouser leg, i.e., the"inseam" and "outseam", project inwardly when the garment isright-side-out, and if permitted to remain in such condition could causediscomfort to the wearer's leg or the like and/or produce unsightlybulges, wrinkles or the like in the finished garment.

To remedy the above situation, it has been the practice in the industryto subject the closed seam to a "seambusting" operation, that is, tospread apart or open the seam edges, and while so spread press them flatagainst the trouser leg fabric panels which adjoin the seam line.Typically, this has been done by placing the trouser leg inside-out on aflat pressing board and thereafter running a portable iron with apointed nose and a flat bottom longitudinally along the seam tosimultaneously spread the seam edges and press them flat. Although thepressing board and the bottom surface of the iron between which the openseam is sandwiched during the pressing operation are both flat, there isa tendency of the seam edges to partially return to their closedposition following pressing, a condition known in the industry as"spring-back". The degree to which spring-back occurs depends in largemeasure on the nature of the fabric and is particularly troublesome withsynthetic fabrics, especially polyester knits.

Although spring back, unless extreme, is not likely to result indiscomfort to the wearer's leg, it can result in unsightly bulges in thecompleted garment. Specifically, after the seam has been opened andpressed flat, i.e., busted, the trouser legs are turned right-side-outand given a final press to establish the creases along the front andrear of the trouser legs. If appreciable spring-back of the seam edgesalong the inseam and outseam has occurred, when this final press ismade, one or both of the sprung back seam edges may "crumble", i.e., notlie flat against the trouser leg fabric adjoining the seam, producing anunsightly bulge in the finished garment.

It has been the object of this invention to provide an apparatus andmethod for busting a seam which minimizes spring back. This objectivehas been accomplished in accordance with certain principles of thisinvention by "overbusting" the seam, that is, pressing the opened edgesof the seam of an inside-out garment such that they form a reflex anglesubstantially in excess of 180°, for example, 230°. In this way, if thepressed seam edges do spring back, i.e., partially return to theirpreviously closed position, since they were initially overbusted, i.e.,pressed to a reflex angle substantially exceeding 180°, the resultantposition of the seam edges following spring-back is likely to be anangle of approximately 180°, that is, flat.

In a preferred form of the invention, pressing of the seam edges to forma reflex angle substantially exceeding 180°, that is, overbusting, isaccomplished by pressing the seam on a buck having a convex surface withan iron having a concave surface, with the seam edges located adjacentthe concave surface of the iron. Preferably, the radius of curvature ofthe convex buck and the concave iron is approximately one inch, althoughradii of curvature between 1/2 inch and 2 inches are satisfactory.

Configuring the buck and iron in the manner indicated providessufficient overbusting to insure that any spring-back which occurs willnot result in crumpling of the seam edges when the trouser legs areturned inside-out and given a final press to produce the front and rearcreases. In addition, and assuming the radius of curvature is not toosmall, the configuration of the upper surface of the buck on which theseam is placed is not sharply contoured or ridged. If a sharp contour orridge were to exist, positioning of the seam on the buck would becritical in the sense that it would be necessary to precisely align theseam line over the buck ridge to produce a satisfactorily busted seam.Finally, since the buck and iron have smoothly contoured surfacesbetween which the same is sandwiched during busting, if the seam isdressed on the buck such that the seam line lies along a curved pathrather along a straight line, the seam can still be opened andoverbusted, even though such seam line path deviates from a straightline. This is accomplished by merely "steering" the nose of the ironalong the curved path of the seam line, that is, rotating the iron aboutthe longitudinal axis of the buck to follow the curve of the seam lineas the iron is translated longitudinally over the seam. This capabilityof the iron to be "steered" along a seam disposed in a curved pathvis-a-vis a straight line is herein also termed "tracking".

In accordance with a further aspect of this invention, the opposite sideedges of the lower surface of the iron sole plate, which converge in thefront to form the nose of the iron that is inserted into the seam toopen the edges thereof, are relieved or chamfered for a slight distance,e.g., one inch, on either side of the nose. This chamfering facilitatesthe smooth flow underneath the iron sole plate of the opened seam edgesas the iron advances forwardly over the seam to simultaneously open andpress the seam edges in the course of the seambusting process.

In accordance with a still further aspect of the invention, a jet ofsteam is directed downwardly and forwardly of the nose of the iron tomoisten the opened seam edges prior to passage thereof underneath theiron sole plate. This is effective to enhance the permanency of the seamedge pressing operation.

In accordance with another and equally important aspect of thisinvention, a trolley is provided to support the iron for longitudinalmovement along a seam dressed on the buck to facilitate the overbustingoperation. The trolley includes an elongated horizontal main guide raildisposed above, and generally parallel to the buck. Mounted to the mainguide for relative longitudinal movement with respect thereto is acarriage from which projects, in a horizontal direction transverse tothe main guide rail, a second or storage guide rail. A telescopingvertically disposed iron-supporting member, to which the iron ispivotally secured at its bottom end, is suspended at its top end forlongitudinal movement along the transverse storage rail. By virtue ofthe storage rail, the iron can be placed in a storage position displacedtransversely from the buck, when the operator desires to mount or removea garment from the buck and/or manipulate the seam with respect thereto,without having the operator's hands mechanically interfere with theiron.

In addition, and providing the carriage contacts the main guide rail atleast two spaced vertical points, the iron will, when in its storageposition at the outboard end of the storage guide rail whereat it isdisplaced from the main guide rail, apply a moment to the carriage tofrictionally bind the carriage relative to the main guide rail. Thisbinding action inhibits movement of the carriage, and hence the iron,longitudinally along the main guide when the iron is in its storageposition. Such movement would otherwise tend to occur in practice sincethe main guide rail is often slightly tilted, either up or down, due tomanufacturing imperfections, installation errors and the like.

In accordance with a still further aspect of the invention the outboardend or nose of the buck, which is inserted into the pant leg whendressing it on the buck, is provided with a smoothly contoured V-shapednotch which guides the seam which is to be overbusted into properposition atop the buck as the pant leg is being drawn over the buckduring the dressing operation. The provision of the V-shaped notchexpedites the pant leg dressing operation since it assists in properorientation of the seam longitudinally along the upper central surfaceof the buck.

An additional feature of the invention is the provision of downwardlydirected compressed air jets at spaced points along the length on theunderside surface of the buck. The air jets, when a pant leg is dressedon the buck, collectively apply a radially outwardly directed force in adownward direction against the lower longitudinal one-half section ofthe pant leg from the interior thereof. This longitudinally distributeddownward force effectively pulls the upper seam of the pant leg tightlyagainst the top surface of the buck, maintaining it in the desiredposition during the overbusting operation.

These and other advantages and features of the invention will becomemore readily apparent from a detailed description thereof taken inconjunction with the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the seambusterapparatus of this invention showing the general relationship of thehorizontally disposed buck upon which the seam to be busted ispositioned, the iron which is movable along the buck to bust the seamlocated thereon, and a trolley which supports the iron for movementbetween operative and inoperative positions relative to the buck;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the iron and buck with a seam therebetweenin the process of having its edges opened and pressed to effect busting;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the buck showing the iron in differentpositions along the length thereof as it tracks a seam positionedthereon with its seam line disposed in a curved path;

FIG. 5, 6, and 7 are cross-sectional views taken along line 5--5, line6--6, and line 7--7, respectively, of FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the nose of the iron;

FIG. 8a is a front elevational view of the nose of the iron shownopening a seam located on the buck;

FIG. 9 is a persective view of the iron showing the nose and bottomsurface region thereof;

FIG. 9a is a perspective view of the iron showing the nose and bottomsurface region thereof with respect to a seam located on the buck;

FIG. 10 is a side elevational view of the nose of the iron;

FIG. 11 is a bottom plan view of the iron sole plate;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a trouser leg, turnedright-side-out, showing busted seams with and without spring-back;

FIG. 13 is an elevational cross-sectional view of a trouser leg, turnedright-side-out, showing a sprung-back busted seam which crumbled whenthe trouser leg was pressed to crease it;

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a seam showing the edges and seam linethereof prior and after busting, with and without spring-back;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a modified form of buck having aV-shaped notch at its outboard end to guide the seam of a pant leg as itis being placed on the buck, thereby expediting the dressing operation,and further having downwardly directed air jets longitudinallydistributed along the underside of the buck to urge and maintain theupper pant leg seam against the top surface of the buck during theoverbusting operation;

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of the outer free end, or nose, of the buckdepicted in FIG. 15; and

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the outer free end, or nose, of thebuck taken along line 17--17 of FIG. 16.

With reference to FIG. 14, two fabric panels 2 and 3 are shown joinedtogether by a seam 1 along a seam line 4 by suitable stitching or thelike. Prior to seambusting with the apparatus and method of thisinvention, the edges 5 and 6 of the seam 1 are "closed", that is, inface-to-face contact, and disposed generally perpendicularly to the.[.plan.]. .Iadd.plane .Iaddend.of the fabric panels 2 and 3, as shownin solid lines. Following seambusting, the seam edges 5 and 6 ideallyare disposed generally flat and parallel against fabric panels 2 and 3as shown in phantom lines at 5' and 6'. If the busted seam edges havethereafter partially returned to their previously closed position toform an obtuse angle or perhaps even an acute angle if the return issufficiently severe, due to the inherent elasticity of the material, acondition known as "spring-back", the edges of the seam 1 assume theposition shown in dotted lines at 5" and 6".

Referring to FIG. 1, a preferred form of the seambusting apparatus ofthis invention includes a buck 10 on which the seam 1 of a garment (notshown in FIG. 1), such as a pair of trousers, is placed, or dressed, tofacilitate seambusting thereof. Also included is an iron 12 which whenmoved longitudinally over a seam 1 dressed on the buck 10 is effectiveto open and press the edges 5 and 6 of the seam, that is, to bust theseam. A trolley 14 alternatively supports the iron in an operativeposition (solid lines) aligned above the buck for seambusting movementlongitudinally of the buck, or an inoperative storage position (phantomlines) disposed transversely of the buck to facilitate dressing the seam1 on the buck 10 without mechanical interference with the iron 12.

The seambusting apparatus also includes a housing 16 which enclosesvarious operating components of the apparatus such as a motorized drive(not shown) for rotating the buck 10 in increments of 180° about itshorizontal axis to facilitate convenient busting of seams on oppositesides of a garment without removal thereof from the buck. A steamgenerator (not shown) may be within or external to housing 16 forsupplying steam to the iron 12 via a hose 18 for moisturizing the seamduring busting thereof and for supplying steam to the interior of thebuck to bring it to the desired elevated operating temperature. Alsoincludable within or external to housing 16 is a vacuum generator (notshown) for applying a vacuum to the interior of the buck which, viasuitable orifices in the upper surface thereof, facilitates drying thebusted seam and removal of moisture from the garment produced when theseam is moisturized by steam emitted from the iron. Finally, housing 16may enclose the necessary electrical components (not shown) forsupplying electrical energy to the iron 12 via an electrical cable 20 toheat the sole plate 30 thereof and for controlling the switching of thevacuum and steam generators under the control of a manually operatedswitch 22 conveniently located on a handle 24 of the iron. The switchingof the vacuum may be caused also by depressing foot pedal 26a.

The seambusting apparatus also includes a depressable foot pedal 26 forconveniently energizing the motorized drive which rotates the buck orfor unlocking the buck so that it can be rotated manually.

The buck 10, considered in further detail, preferably includes a pair ofhorizontally disposed spaced parallel elongated tubes 10a and 10b overwhich both trouser legs of a pair of pants whose inner and outer seamsare to be busted, can be disposed. The leg buck tubes 10a and 10b, whichhave their outer ends sealed, have a hollow interior which communicateswith a source of vacuum (not shown) located within or external to thehousing 16. Although not shown, the upper surfaces of each of theelongated leg buck tubes 10a and 10b are preferably perforated tofacilitate withdrawal of moisture from the seam of a garment dressed onthe buck which has been moistened as an incident to the seambustingoperation. The trouser leg bucks 10a and 10b are also each preferablycovered with suitable cloth padding (not shown), and provided withinternal heating means (not shown), either steam or electrical, forheating the buck to an elevated temperature. Finally, the length of theelongated buck legs 10a and 10b typically exceeds the length of the seamto be busted.

For reasons to be described in greater detail hereafter, the uppersurface of each buck, on which the seam to be busted is positioned, isconvex as shown best in FIG. 3. Preferably, the radius of curvature ofthe convex upper surface of each trouser leg buck 10a and 10b is between1/2 inch and 2 inches, with approximately 1 inch being optimum, all forreasons which will be explained more fully hereafter.

The iron, as shown in FIGS. 1-3 and 8-11, includes a sole plate 30 ofcast aluminum or other suitable material having a high heat storagecapacity. Secured to the sole plate 30 via brackets 23a and 23b is thehandle 24 on which the switch 22 is mounted for convenient operatorcontrol of the steam, vacuum and electrical energy sources contained inthe housing 16. The sole plate 30 incorporates, in conventional manner,electrical heating means (not shown) for elevating the temperature ofthe sole plate to an operating level suitable for pressing garment seamsand for automatically maintaining, such as by thermostatic controlmeans, the desired sole plate temperature. The sole plate 30 alsoincorporates suitable passages therein (not shown) communicating withthe steam line 18 to facilitate the flow of steam to a series oforifices 32 in the bottom surface 34 of the sole plate. The orifices 32are disposed in the forward region of the bottom surface 34 of the soleplate 30 along the center line 35 thereof. With the orifices 32 solocated, when the sole plate 30 is operatively positioned over thetrouser leg buck 10a or 10b, the steam issuing from the orificesmoistens the trouser seam sandwiched between the buck and the sole plateduring pressing of the opened seam, as illustrated best in FIG. 9a. Thesteam passage (not shown) in the sole plate 30 which provides steam tothe orifices 32, also communicates with an orifice 36 in the forward,pointed region, or nose 38 of the sole plate. The orifice 36 isconfigured to direct a jet 39 of steam downwardly and forwardly of theiron nose 38 to moisten the seam prior to passage thereof underneath thesole plate as an incident to pressing.

The sole plate 30, considered in further detail, includes the bottomsurface 34, side surfaces 40 and 42, and a rear surface 44. The sidesurfaces 40 and 42 and the rear surface 44 are oriented to intersect thebottom surface 34 at an angle which is somewhere in the neighborhood of90°, although such is not critical and in fact the angle 46 between theside surfaces 40 and 42 and the bottom surface 34 is somewhat less than90°.

The side surfaces 40 and 42 converge in the front or forward section ofthe sole plate 30 in a nose or front edge 38 which makes an angle ofapproximately 15° with an imaginary vertical line 50 extending upwardlyfrom the lowermost portion of the nose 38. The angularity of the nose 38with respect to the imaginary vertical line 50 is critical, although itpreferably exceeds 0° to promote opening of a seam in the manner to bedescribed hereafter. The side surfaces 40 and 42 are chamfered as shownby reference numerals 40a and 42a, although this is not necessary. Soleplate sides 40 and 42, which include the chamfer surfaces 40a and 42a,join the bottom .[.surfaces.]. .Iadd.surface .Iaddend.34 of the soleplate 30 along bottom side edges 52 and 54 which converge at the nose orfront edge 38 to establish the pointed forward region of the iron.

The edges 52 and 54 of the sole plate 30 in the vicinity of the nose 38are recessed, as shown by smoothly contoured chamfer surfaces 56 and 58.As will be apparent later, the relieved or chamfered edges 56 and 58facilitate the smooth flow of the opened seam edges 5 and 6 beneath thesole plate 30 as the iron 12 moves forwardly over the seam on the buck10 in the course of opening the seam and pressing the seam edges thereofto produce a busted seam. Stated differently, relieving the edges 56 and58 in the manner indicated prevent bunching, forward of the nose, of theopened seamed edges as the sole plate 30 advances forward along the seamto press the opened seamed edges and thereby complete the seambustingoperation.

The bottom surface 34 of the sole plate 30 has a longitudinal centralsection 34a of generally concave configuration to correspond to theconvex configuration of the upper surfaces of the trouser leg buck 10aand 10b which, as noted, in a preferred form, approximates a 1 inchradius of curvature. The width of the central section of the sole platebottom surface 34 extends on either side of the imaginary center line 35a distance sufficient to insure that the seam will be overbusted tominimize springback, as will be apparent hereafter. Extendinglongitudinally on either side of the central section 34a of the soleplate bottom surface 34 and tangential to the concave curvature ofcentral section 34a are lateral sole plate surface sections 34b and 34cwhich, in a preferred form, are flat, i.e., have an infinite radius ofcurvature. As will be apparent hereafter in connection with FIGS. 4-7,the flatness of sole plate bottom sections 34b and 34c enables the ironto follow, or track, a seam disposed on the trouser leg bucks 10a and10b which has the seam line thereof disposed along a generally curvedpath, that is, not in a straight line.

The trolley 14, considered in more detail, includes an elongatedhorizontal main guide rail 60 which preferably includes upper and lowervertically aligned, spaced, parallel guide rods 62 and 64. The guiderods 62 and 64 are secured via a bracket 66 to a vertical post 67. Theguide rods 62 and 64 extend generally parallel to the trouser leg bucks10a and 10b at a position spaced above the trouser leg bucks andslightly transversely displaced with respect thereto. The nature of thebracket 66 and the post 67 is such that the guide rods 62 and 64 of themain horizontal guide 60 remains stationary, that is, do not move in avertical direction, either up or down, nor do they pivot about avertical axis through the support post 67.

A carriage 68 is supported for relative movement along the main guiderail 60. The carriage 68, in a preferred form, includes vertical spacedparallel triangular plates 68a and 68b between which at the verticesthereof are mounted guide rolls 70a, 70b and 70c having a concaveperipheral guide surface. Each of the guide wheels 70a, 70b and 70c ismounted for rotation about a horizontal axis by pins 71 extendingbetween the plates 68a and 68b. The upper guide roll 70a rides along thetop surface of upper horizontal guide rod 62 while the lower guide rolls70b and 70c ride along the bottom surface of the lower horizontal guiderod 64. Extending perpendicularly from the carriage 68 is a storageguide rail 72 consisting of an upper guide rod section 74 and a lowerguide rod section 76 which are joined at their outer ends 72a. Thestorage guide rail 72 is secured to the carriage 68 in any suitablemanner such that it moves with the carriage 68 and extends in ahorizontal direction perpendicular to the main guide rail 60.

An iron-support member 78 support the iron 12 from the storage guiderail 72, the storage guide rail 72 in turn being supported by thecarriage 68 which is movably mounted on the main guide rail 60. Theiron-support member 78 at its upper end is supported for relativemovement along the lower guide rod 76 of the storage guide rail 72 via aroller assembly 80. The roller assembly 80 includes spaced verticalparallel plates 82 and 84 between which guide rolls 86 and 88 are pinnedfor rotation about horizontally spaced axes parallel to the main guiderail 60. Guide rolls 86 and 88 have concave peripheries such that theyride on the upper surface of the lower guide rod 76 of the storage guiderail 72. Secured to the lower portion of the plates 82 and 84 of theroller assembly 80 is the upper end of a longitudinally extendible andcontractible pair of telescoping rods 89 and 90. Interconnecting thelower end of telescoping rod 90 and the iron 12 is a cradle assembly 92which includes an arcuate bracket 94 which at its upper end is rigidlysecured to the lower end of the telescoping rod 90. The lower end of thebracket 94 is pivotably connected via a horizontal pin 96 to the centralsection of a U-shaped yoke 98, the legs of which are pivotably connectedvia horizontal pins 100 and 102 to the front and rear vertical brackets23a and 23b which mount the handle 24 to the iron 12.

The pinned connection between the yoke 98 and the brackets 23a and 23bwhich secures the handle 24 to the iron 12 permit the iron to pivotabout a horizontal axis through the pins 100 and 102. The pivotalconnection established by the pin 96 between the yoke 98 and the arcuatebracket 94 permits the iron 12 to pivot about a horizontal axis co-axialwith the pin 96. The telescoping rods 89 and 90 which interconnect theroller assembly 80 and the cradle 92 facilitate the movement of the iron12 in a vertical direction. To bias telescoping rods 88 and 90 towardaxial contraction, a spring (not shown) is provided inside thetelescoping rods which has its opposite ends connected to different onesof the rods. Finally, the relative movement of the roller assembly 80along the storage guide rail 72 permits the iron 12 to be moved betweenan operative position underlying the main guide rail 60 over trouserseams of a garment dressed on the buck legs 10a and 10b and aninoperative or storage position (shown in phantom) displacedtransversely from the main guide rail 60. In the inoperative or storageposition, the iron 12 is substantially transversely displaced from thebuck legs 10a and 10b to enable placement and removal of a pair oftrousers on the buck leg 10a and 10b and manipulation of the seams withrespect to the buck legs without mechanical interference between theoperator's hands and the iron 12.

When the iron-support member 78 is in its storage position shown inphantom in FIG. 1, a clockwise moment is applied to the carriage 68,when viewed in the direction of arrow 105, via the storage guide rail72, as a consequence of the downward force applied to the end 72a of thestorage guide rail by the iron 12 which is displaced from the carriage68. The moment applied to the carriage 68, since the carriage 68contacts the main guide rail 60 at two vertically spaced points, namely,at wheel 70a and at wheels 70b, 70c, tends to frictionally bind or lockthe carriage 68 with respect to the main guide rail 60, with the resultthat the carriage 68 tends to be restrained from longitudinal movementalong the main guide rail 60.

Thus, when the iron 12 is displaced by the operator transversely of thebuck legs 10a and 10b such that the roller assembly 80 translates to theend 72a of the storage guide rail 72, a clockwise moment is applied tothe carriage 68 when viewed along line 105, inhibiting translationalmoment of the carriage 68 along the main guide rail 60. This tendency toinhibit relative movement between the carriage 68 and the main guiderail 60 when the roller assembly 80 has been positioned in the storageposition is desirable in use, because, as a practical matter, the mainguide rail 60 often is slightly tilted, either upwardly or downwardly,with respect to the horizontal. With the main guide rail 60 tilted withrespect to the horizontal, the carriage 68 has a tendency to translateunder the weight of the iron in one direction or the other along themain guide rail 60, the particular direction depending upon whether themain guide rail is tilted slightly upwardly or slightly downwardly. Whenthe roller assembly 80 has been placed in the storage position, whichusually occurs when the operator desires to manipulate the seam on thebuck, mount trousers on the buck, or remove trousers from the buck,operator's hands are not on the iron. Under these circumstances, due tothe normal tilt, either upwardly or downwardly, of the main guide rail60, the carriage 68, absent the moment applied thereto via storage guiderail 72, would tend to translate in one direction or another on the mainguide rail. Such translation, if permitted to occur, would cause thecarriage to bang against either the bracket 66 or a vertical stop 65aattached to the end of guide rod 64.

The apparatus is placed in condition for operation by energizing theelectrical current source for supplying electricity via cable 20 toraise the temperature of the sole plate 30 to the desired operatinglevel. In addition, the heating means for the buck legs 10a and 10b,whether steam or electrical, is activated to raise the temperature ofthe buck legs to the desired operating level. With the iron sole plate30 and the buck legs 10a and 10b at operating temperature, the rollerassembly 80 is placed at the end 72a of the storage guide rail 72 todisplace the iron 12 transversely from the buck legs 10a and 10b. Withthe iron located in its storage position, the legs of a pair oftrousers, turned inside out to expose the edges of the seam, are dressedon the buck, that is, one trouser leg is placed on buck leg 10a and theother trouser leg placed on leg 10b. When the trouser legs are placed onthe buck legs 10a and 10b the seams are manipulated by the operator suchthat the inseam of one trouser leg is located along the upper surface ofone of the buck legs and the outseam of the other trouser leg locatedalong the upper surface of the other buck leg. Ideally, the seam line 4of each seam, along which the edges 5 and 6 of the joined fabric panels2 and 3 are stitched, is positioned in alignment with a straight line116 running along the uppermost surface of the respective buck legs 10a,10b. However, and as will become apparent hereafter in connection withthe discussion of FIGS. 4-7, alignment of the seam line 4 of the seambeing busted with respect to straight line 116 on the upper surface ofbuck legs 10a, 10b is not critical.

With the seams of the trouser legs dressed on the top of the buck legs10a or 10b, the roller assembly 80 is moved to its inboard or operativeposition shown in solid lines in FIG. 1 by gripping the iron handle 24and moving it toward the buck 10 from its outboard or storage positionunderlying the end 72a of the storage guide rail 72. Movement of theroller assembly 80 brings the iron 12 into overlying relationship withrespect to the buck 10. The iron 12, if it is not already overlying theoutboard end of the buck 10, is so placed by movement of the iron in thedirection of arrow 107 which causes the carriage 68 to translate alongthe main guide rail 60. Depending upon which seam is to be operatedupon, i.e., the seam dressed on buck leg 10a or the one on buck leg 10b,the iron 12 is positioned by the operator to overly either buck leg 10aor buck leg 10b.

The nose 38 of the iron 12 is next inserted in the outboard end of theseam, forcing apart or opening the edges 5 and 6 thereof which, prior toinsertion of the iron nose therebetween, were closed, i.e., extendingupwardly and in contact with each other. With the nose 38 of the iron 12engaged between the now separated, or opened, seam edges 5 and 6, theiron is moved forwardly, that is, advanced in the direction of arrow105. Continued movement of the iron in the forward direction parallel toarrow 105 progressively opens the normally upstanding, closed seam edges5 and 6. Simultaneously, the progressively opening seam edges 5 and 6are pressed by the central section 34a of the iron sole plate bottomsurface 34 as the seam edges pass underneath the sole plate. Due to theconcave curvature of teh central sole plate bottom surface section 34awhich overlies the opened seam, and the underlying convex surface of theupper portion of the buck leg 10a or 10b, the opened seam edges 5 and 6as they pass beneath the iron sole plate are pressed such that they makea reflex angle 117 which substantially exceeds 180°, e.g., 230°. Suchopening and pressing of the seam to a reflex angle substantiallyexceeding 180° , which herein is termed "overbusting", reduces thelikelihood that the seam edges 5 and 6, when the overbusting operationis complete and the trousers removed from the buck and turned insideout, will achieve significant partial closure, i.e., will return to asignificant degree to their former closed position.

Partial return of the opened and pressed seam edges to their closedposition, termed "springback", which is reduced in accordance with thisinvention by virtue of "overbusting", reduces the tendency of the seamedges to be crumpled when the pants seams are thereafter pressedright-side-out during garment fabrication. If, as shown in FIGS. 12 and13, significant springback has occurred as illustrated by seam 118, whenthe pants are pressed right-side-out during garment fabrication one orthe other of the edges 118a or 118b of the sprungback seam 118, such asseam edge 118b, may get crumpled when the seam is given the finalpressing righ-side-out during garment fabrication. The crumpled seamedge 118b is shown in exaggerated form in FIG. 13.

By virtue of the downwardly and forwardly directed steam jet 39emanating from orifice 36 in the iron sole plate nose 38, the closedseam edges 5 and 6, as they are opened by the forward movement of nose38 inserted therebetween, are moistened to enhance the permanency of theoverbusting pressing which occurs as the iron sole plate bottom surface34 .[.passes.]. .Iadd.presses .Iaddend.over the opened seam. Thepermanency of the overbusting pressing operation is further enhanced bythe moisturizing of the opened seam which occurs as the opened seamedges 5 and 6 pass underneath steam-emitting orifices 32 disposed alongthe center line of the central section 34a of the iron sole plate bottomsurface 34.

By virtue of the relieved sections 56 and 58 of the bottom side edges 52and 54 whereat the bottom sole plate surface 34 joins the side soleplate surfaces 40 and 42, the opened seam edges 5 and 6, as the ironmoves forwardly over the seam, tend to feed smoothly underneath the soleplate 30 on either side of the center line 35 thereof without anytendency to bunch forward of the nose, which experience has shownotherwise tends to occur when such relief sections 56 and 58 areomitted.

As noted previously, the iron sole plate bottom surface regions 34b and34c, which extend the length of the iron on either side of the centralsurface region 34a, are generally flat, i.e., have an infinite radius ofcurvature, or at least have a radius of curvature substantially greaterthan that of the central section 34a. As a consequence, the iron 12,when engaged with the buck leg 10a or 10b, can be pivoted to asubstantial degree about a vertical axis through the center of the ironwhile still enabling the forward portion of the central surface section34a adjacent the nose 38 to remain in contact with the seam on the uppersurface of the buck leg 10a or 10b. As a consequence, if the seam of thegarment dressed on the upper surface of the buck leg is not disposed ina straight line in alignment with imaginary line 116 (FIG. 4), butrather follows a curved path such as curved line 115, the iron willfollow, or track, the seam by steering the nose along the curved seamline 115 between the seam edges to simultaneously open the seam andoverbust it, as described previously.

When the seam line 4 is in alignment with the imaginary line 116 of theleg buck, the center line 35 of the sole plate bottom surface is inalignment with the imaginary line 116 on the buck legs, as shown in FIG.5, and the schematically shown iron designated with reference numeral125 in FIG. 4. When the seam line 4 is displaced to one side or theother side of the imaginary line 116 on the buck leg, the center line 35of the sole plate bottom surface is displaced to one side or the otherside, respectively, of the imaginary line 116, as shown in FIGS. 6 and7, respectively, and by schematically shown irons designated 127 and129, respectively, depicted in FIG. 4. Were sole plate bottom surfaceregions 34b and 34c to have the same radius of curvature as buck 10a andbuck 10b, it would not be as convenient to steer the iron betweenpositions designated 125 and 127 and between positions designated 127and 129 because the seam edges 5 and 6 tend to double back on themselvesdue to the radial motion of the iron. Further the absence of contact inregions 34b and 34c of the sole plate provides high unit pressure in thearea 34a shown by the angle 117 which assures good pressing of the seam.

By virtue of having the radii of curvature of the buck legs 10a and 10band the central section 34a of the sole plate bottom surface 34 nosmaller than approximately 1/2 inch, the iron sole plate can be orientedsuch that its center line 35 is angled with respect to the curved seamline 115 while still maintaining the central sole plate bottom surfaceregion 34a in contact with the upper surface of the buck leg. Thisfurther enhances the ability of the iron to track, or be steered, alonga curved seam line 4 as shown in FIG. 4.

Finally, the smoothly contoured mating surfaces of the iron bottom andbuck top permit the iron to be rotated about the buck axis as the ironadvances along the buck over the seam. This ability to simultaneouslyadvance and rotate the iron relative to the buck further enhances thesteerability of the iron, that is, the ability of the iron to follow, ortrack, a seam disposed in a curved path on the buck.

The capability of steering the iron along a curved seam line, since itreduces the criticality in alignment required between the seam line 4and the imaginary line 116 which is straight, provides a reduction inthe amount of operator time required to dress the seam on the buck andhence reduces the unit time to overbust a seam.

Assuming the inseam dressed on buck 10b is first subjected to theoverbusting operation, the outseam dressed on buck 10a is thereaftersubjected to the same overbusting operation. The roller assembly 80 isnow moved to the storage position. With the iron 12 transverselydisplaced from the buck 10, the buck 10 is rotated 180° such that buck10a occupies the position formerly occupied by buck 10b and vice versa.The respective trouser legs are still, however, positioned on the samebuck legs. With this done, the operator then dresses on buck leg 10a theinseam of the trouser leg whose outseam was overbusted on buck .[.10a.]..Iadd.10b, .Iaddend.and dresses on buck leg 10b the outseam of thetrouser leg whose inseam was overbusted on buck leg 10a. The rollerassembly 80 is returned to its operative position, and overbusting ofthe inseam and outseam dressed on buck legs 10a and 10b proceed in themanner previously described. When these last two seams have beenoverbusted, the operator again moves the roller assembly 80 to thestorage position. The pants can now be removed from the buck 10 withoutinterference with the iron 12.

Referring to FIGS. 15-17, a modified form of the seambusting apparatusof this invention is shown. With reference to these figures, themodified seambusting apparatus is seen to include a buck 210 on whichthe seam 201 of a garment 211, such as a pair of trousers, is placed, ordressed, to facilitate seambusting thereof. Also included is an iron 212which when moved longitudinally over the seam 201 dressed on the buck210 is effective to open and press the edges 205 and 206 of the seam,that is, to bust the seam. A trolley (not shown) supports the iron 212in an operative position aligned above the buck 210 for seambustingmovement longitudinally of the buck. The seambusting apparatus alsoincludes a housing 216 which may enclose various operating components ofthe apparatus such as a steam generator (not shown) for supplying steamto the iron 212 via a hose (not shown) for moisturizing the seam 201during busting thereof and for supplying steam to the interior of thebuck 210 to bring it to the desired elevated operating temperature. Alsoincluded within or external to housing 216 is a vacuum generator (notshown) for applying a vacuum to the interior of the buck 210 which, viasuitable orifices (not shown) in the upper surface thereof, facilitatesdrying the busted seam and removal of moisture from the garment producedwhen the seam is moisturized by steam emitted from the iron. The housing216 may also enclose the necessary electrical components (not shown) forsupplying electrical energy to the iron 212 via an electrical cable (notshown) to heat the sole plate 230 thereof and for controlling switchingof the vacuum and the steam generators via a manually operated switch(not shown) conveniently located on the handle 224 of the iron. Finally,the housing 216 may enclose a source of pressurized gas, such ascompressed air, which communicates with the interior of the buck 210 forreasons to be described hereafter.

Extending in a generally horizontal direction from the housing 216 anddisposed below the buck 210 is a garment tray 217. The garment tray 217may take the form of a pair of metal tubes 219, 219 secured at theirinner ends by brackets 219a, 219a to the wall 216a of the housing 216. Afabric sheet 221 secured at its opposite longitudinal edges to the traysupport tubes 219, 219 spans the support tubes and functions as a trayor shelf to support during the seambusting operation, as well as duringdressing and undressing operations, that portion of a garment, such as apant leg 211a of garment 211, which is not dressed on the buck 210. Thesupport .[.arm.]. .Iadd.arms .Iaddend.219, 219 are preferably bentdownwardly at a point intermediate their ends to space the fabric sheetor shelf 221 conveniently with respect to the buck 210.

The buck 210, like the buck 10 is shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1,takes the form of a horizontally disposed elongated tube over which thetubular trouser leg 211b of a pair of pants 211 whose inner and outerseams are to be busted, can be disposed. The leg buck or tube 210, whichhas its outer end sealed, has a hollow interior which communicates witha source of vacuum (not shown) located within or external to the housing216. Although not shown, the upper surface of the elongated leg buck 210is preferably perforated to facilitate withdrawal of moisture from theseam of a garment dressed on the buck which has been moistened as anincident to the seambusting operation. The trouser leg buck 210 is alsopreferably covered with suitable cloth padding (not shown) and providedwith internal heating means (not shown), either steam or electrical, forheating the buck to an elevated temperature. The length of the elongatedbuck leg 210 typically exceeds the length of the seam to be busted. Forreasons described in detail in connection with the seambuster depictedin FIG. 1, the upper surface of the buck 110, on which the seam to bebusted is positioned, is preferably convex, having a radius of curvaturebetween 1/2 inch and 2 inches, with approximately 1 inch being optimum.

The buck 210 additionally includes a smoothly contoured generallyV-shaped notch, or slot, 223 at its outboard free end or nose. The notch223 serves the advantageous purpose of guiding the upper seam 201 of apant leg 211b as the pant leg is being drawn from right to left (asviewed in FIG. 15) over the buck 210, during the buck dressingoperation. The guiding of the upper seam of a pant leg being dressed onthe buck 210 provided by the notch 223 is such that the upper seam 201is guided toward a position atop the buck 210 along an imaginary line215 running longitudinally of the buck at the uppermost portion of itstop surface.

The notch 223 has an inner base surface 223a which is preferablyangulated at approximately 20° with respect to an imaginary verticalplane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 225 of the buck such thatas the trouser leg 211b is drawn rightwardly across the buck 210 duringthe dressing process the seam 201 will be cammed upwardly andrightwardly to enhance the seam-building function of the notch. In apreferred form of the invention in which the buck 210 with pad has anoutside diameter of approximately 2 1/4 .Iadd.inches.Iaddend., the notch223 has a radius of curvature of between approximately 11/2 inches- 21/2inches, preferably approximately 2 inches. In addition the notch 223preferably has a cross-section which is semi-circular when viewedparallel to base surface 223a, as best shown in FIG. 16. Finally, thenose or outer free end of the buck 210 in which notch 223 is formed ispreferably configured to have an overall shape (exclusive of the notch)which is semi-cylindrical as best shown in FIG. 17.

The buck 210 is provided with a plurality of orifices, of nozzles, 231in its undersurface region which commmunicate with a source ofpressurized gas, such as compressed air (not shown), located within thehousing 216 or external thereto. The orifices 231 when provided withpressurized gas direct jets of air in a vertical direction from theunderneath surface region of the buck 210 as shown by arrows 232. Theair jets 232 apply a downward vertical force in a radially outwardlydirection to the interior of the longitudinal one-half section of thetubular pant leg 211b dressed on the buck 210. The downward force pullsthe upper one-half section of the pant leg 211b dressed on buck 210which is in contact with the upper surface of the buck 210 in adownwardly direction, urging the seam 201 tightly against the uppersurface of the buck to maintain it in the desired position aligned withimaginary line 215 during the seambusting operation.

The iron 212 preferably is in all respects identical to the iron 12shown in FIGS. 1-3 and 8-11, and accordingly is not further described,except to note that the bottom surface 230a of the sole plate 230thereof has a longitudinal central section of generally concaveconfiguration to correspond to the preferred convex configuration of theupper surfaces of the trouser leg buck 210 to facilitate overbusting ofa seam dressed thereon to minimize spring-back.

Preferably, the buck 210 is mounted to the housing 216 by means (notshown) which permit the vertical position, or height, of thehorizontally disposed buck to be varied as indicated by the doubleheaded arrow 235.

In practice, it has been found that the nozzles 231 are preferablyspaced apart at intervals of approximately 8 inches, have a nozzleopening or orifice diameter of 3/32 inches, and are pressured withcompressed air at 40 lbs. per square inch gauge (PSIG). Obviously, thenozzle spacing and orifice size, as well as the gas pressure can bevaried depending on the circumstances. For example, as the weave of thefabric of the pants legs becomes looser, i.e., more porous, the pressureis preferably increased and vice versa. Similarly, as the diameter ofthe pant leg increases, the pressure is increased and vice versa. Thepreferred pressure of 40 PSIG noted previously has been found suitablefor trouser legs having a diameter of approximately 9 inches andfabricated of a fabric of a loosely woven polyester knit type. Pressuresas low as 10 PSIG can be utilized with tightly woven cotton fabricpants.

While the foregoing description has been made with particular emphasison a preferred embodiment, it will be recognized by those skilled in theart that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of this invention as defined by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. Apparatus for opening and flattening a seamhaving mating edges of fabric joined together along an elongated seamline, comprising:an elongated buck having a convex outer surface adaptedto support the seam with the mating fabric edges thereof outboard, saidbuck having an outer free end over which said fabric is drawn in theprocess of dressing said seam on said convex outer buck surface, saidouter free end provided with a smoothly contoured notch therein orientedto guide said seam to a position atop said convex outer buck surface assaid fabric is drawn over said buck in said dressing process, and aniron having a sole plate including a central elongated bottom surfaceregion terminating at a forward edge in a pointed nose configuration tospread apart and thereby open the mating fabric edges of a seam whenmoved forwardly thereover along the seam line thereof, said centralelongated bottom surface region having a length substantially less thanthe length of said buck and being concavely configured to correspond tosaid convex outer buck surface for overbusting a seam, which issandwiched therebetween with the .[.melting.]. .Iadd.mating.Iaddend.edges thereof adjacent said sole plate, by pressing said edgesto form an angle along said seam line which substantially exceeds 180° ,said convex and concave surfaces each having a radius of curvature ofless than approximately two inches and more than approximately one-halfinch to facilitate appreciable overbusting and avoid spring-back whileminimizing criticality in alignment of said seam line on said buck. 2.The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said notch has an innermost basesurface angled upwardly and inwardly to cam said seam upwardly onto saidconvex outer buck surface as said fabric is drawn over said buck in saiddressing process.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said notch has agenerally semi-circular cross-section when viewed parallel to said basesurface thereof.
 4. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said base surfaceis angled inwardly and upwardly approximately 20° relative to animaginary vertical plane disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axisof said buck.
 5. Apparatus for opening and flattening a seam of atubular garment having mating edges of fabric joined together along anelongated seam line, comprising:an elongated buck having a convex outerupper surface adapted to support the seam with the mating fabric edgesthereof outboard, said buck having a lower region provided withlongitudinally spaced orifices connectable to a source of pressurizedgas to collectively provide downwardly directed gas jets which, whensaid tubular garment is dressed on said buck with said seam atop saidconvex upper surface, apply a radially outwardly and downwardly directedforce against the lower section of said tubular garment from theinterior thereof, pulling said seam dressed atop said convex uppersurface tightly thereagainst to maintain it in said dressed positionduring said seam opening and flattening operation, and an iron having asole plate including a central elongated bottom surface regionterminating at a forward edge in a pointed nose configuration to spreadapart and thereby open the mating fabric edges of a seam when movedforwardly thereover along the seam line thereof, said central elongatedbottom surface region having a length substantially less than the lengthof said buck and being concavely configured to correspond to said convexouter buck surface for overbusting a seam, which is sandwichedtherebetween with the mating edges thereof adjacent said sole plate, bypressing said edges to form an angle along said seam line whichsubstantially exceeds 180°, said convex and concave surfaces each havinga radius of curvature of less than approximately 2 inches and more thanapproximately 1/2 inch to facilitate appreciable overbusting and avoidspring-back while minimizing criticality in alignment of said seam lineon said buck.
 6. Apparatus useful for opening and flattening a seam of atubular garment having mating edges of fabric joined together along anelongated seam line, comprising:an elongated buck having a convex outerupper surface adapted to support the seam with the mating fabric edgesthereof outboard, said buck having a lower region provided withlongitudinally spaced orifices connectable to a source of pressurizedgas to collectively provide downwardly directed gas jets which, whensaid tubular garment is dressed on said buck with said seam atop saidconvex upper surface, apply a radially outwardly and downwardly directedforce against the lower section of said tubular garment from theinterior thereof, pulling said seam dressed atop said convex uppersurface tightly thereagainst to maintain it in said dressed positionduring said seam opening and flattening operation, said convex surfacehaving a radius of curvature of less than approximately two inches andmore than approximately one-half inch to facilitate appreciableoverbusting and avoid spring-back while minimizing criticality inalignment of said seam line on said buck when said seam is opened andflattened with an iron having a concave sole plate configured tocorrespond to the convex curvature of said buck.
 7. Apparatus foropening and flattening a seam of a tubular garment having mating edgesof fabric joined together along an elongated seam line, comprising:anelongated buck having a convex outer upper surface adapted to supportthe seam with the mating fabric edges thereof outboard, said buck havinga lower region provided with longitudinally spaced orifices connectableto a source of pressurized gas to collectively provide downwardlydirected gas jets which, when said tubular garment is dressed on saidbuck with said seam atop said convex upper surface, apply a radiallyoutwardly and downwardly directed force against the lower section ofsaid tubular garment from the interior thereof, pulling said seamdressed atop said convex upper surface tightly thereagainst to maintainit in said dressed position during said seam opening and flatteningoperation, and an iron having a sole plate including a central elongatedbottom surface region terminating at a forward edge in a pointed noseconfiguration to spread apart and thereby open the mating fabric edgesof a seam when moved forwardly thereover along the seam line thereof,said central elongated bottom surface region having a lengthsubstantially less than the length of said buck and being concavelyconfigured to correspond to said convex outer buck surface for busting aseam which is sandwiched therebetween with the mating edges thereofadjacent said sole plate.
 8. Apparatus useful for opening and flatteninga seam of a tubular garment having mating edges of fabric joinedtogether along an elongated seam line, comprising:an elongated buckhaving a convex outer upper surface adapted to support the seam with themating fabric edges thereof outboard, said buck having a lower regionprovided with longitudinally spaced orifices connectable to a source ofpressurized gas to collectively provide downwardly directed gas jetswhich, when said tubular garment is dressed on said buck with said seamatop said convex upper surface, apply a radially outwardly anddownwardly directed force against the lower section of said tubulargarment from the interior thereof, pulling said seam dressed atop saidconvex upper surface tightly thereagainst to maintain it in said dressedposition during said seam opening and flattening operation.
 9. Theapparatus of claim 8 wherein said buck has an outer free end over whichsaid tubular garment is drawn in the process of dressing said seam onsaid convex outer buck surface, said buck end provided with a smoothlycontoured notch therein oriented to guide said seam to a position atopsaid convex outer buck surface as said garment is drawn over said buckin said dressing process.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein saidnotch has an innermost base surface angled upwardly and inwardly to camsaid seam upwardly onto said convex outer buck surface as said garmentis drawn over said buck in said dressing process.
 11. The apparatus ofclaim 10 wherein said notch has a generally semi-circular cross-sectionwhen viewed parallel to said base surface thereof.
 12. The apparatus ofclaim 10 wherein said base surface is angled inwardly and upwardlyapproximately 20° relative to an imaginary vertical plane disposedperpendicular to the longitudinal axis of said buck.